Kartong
by Novocain
Summary: Once upon a time would be nice, but Lavender knew better than fairytales a long time ago. Her cheeks hurt. Requested by Vanir.


**Cardboard Dolls Tear So Easily**

She stared at the candle in front of her.

Once upon a time would do just fine for a change.

Just once. She stared at the candle in front of her and wished that _just once_ it would be the way it was supposed to be - he would be entranced by her beauty. He would rescue her (from herself. From the alcohol and clubs and the constant scent of cigarettes and the endless men flirting with her, only one thing on their minds) and take her home to the king and queen, and she would rule at his side. They would be deliriously happy together.

It would end with happily ever after, of course.

Pfbbt. Yeah. Right. She stared into the flame - very pointedly not into his eyes - and allowed him to continue stammering. She didn't want to see the apologetic, awkward smile on his face.

It had started out just fine - he had been _entranced_, as they all were. At first. But there was something about her, evidently, that did not lend itself to once-upon-a-time. And it was something important. Something without which they couldn't be satisfied.

_What else do you want,_ Lavender thought dully, still staring at the candle on the romantic table for two. _My soul?_

She had the entrancement part down. She pulled their strings and tossed her hair, and they would follow. She giggled naively - because men all want to protect their women, her mother told her - and looked up at them shyly through her magically enhanced eyelashes. She annihilated them in bed (_practice makes perfect, eh, Lav?_) and had sucked out more than one love confession with perfectly plump, red lips.

It always turned them on to see her lipstick smeared on their cocks right before they stuck it in.

And perhaps she had no soul anymore anyways - perhaps it had been lost piece by piece with every false, dimpled smile that made her cheeks ache and every not-you-it's-me candlelit dinner in a public place. Perhaps the innumerable men had each ripped a tiny piece off slowly and carefully and noiselessly so they had a little something of Lav to pant and shudder over (in later years or not) as their wives sucked them off inexpertly.

He was still talking.

She remembered a conversation she had overheard one of her exes having at the bar a couple of weeks ago. She hadn't remembered him, but she rarely remembered them anymore. She had been in a melancholy mood and drinking quietly for once. She hadn't even put on her face that night, though the guys were probably drunk enough not to recognize her anyway. She remembered: **lav. yeah, she was a sweet little bird. something about her, though... but man, she was dynamite in bed. unforgettable. damn right i tapped that. and you just wish you had too.** THERE WAS LAUGHTER. **yeah, laugh it up. i may not have been a minority, but you only dream of being part of the majority.**

Lavender didn't understand. She didn't even try to understand anymore; she just allowed the slow chaos of dry martinis and flashing lights and slick bodies and frenzied grinding blind her. She was too dumb to understand, anyway. All she was good for was sex, flings, and arm-candy. She understood that much. It had taken a long time, but she was dumb like that. It was the Gryffindor in her.

_--Once upon a time would be nice_.--

He was awkwardly calling for the check now, slightly uneasy over her lack of response.

"Lav? Lav?" He peered at her worriedly. "Look, babe, are you o-"

She finally met his eyes solidly and cut him off. She didn't want to hear it. "Darling," - _what's his name?_ - "don't you worry about me." She smiled a false, dimpled smile that made her cheeks ache, and he smiled back in relief. "You know I'm always up for a good time, and you were a pretty good time." They laughed together, amiable and in on the joke. _What's his name? _"Introduce me to your next girl, will you? I'll be sure to share some tips." Said with a wink.

_--It would be nice, but even I'm not dumb enough to hold on to that fairytale.--_

He blanched in mock horror and was grinning as they parted ways at the restaurant's exit.

_What's his name?_ And then Lavender let the question slip away unanswered as she shed her silk button-down, leaving a lacy cami underneath, and ripped five inches off of her formerly modest and reserved skirt in a practiced manner. She tossed the blouse and extra material in a nearby trash can and didn't bother to fish a compact out of her clutch purse before using her wand to darken her mascara and eyeliner, expensive heels tapping away on the sidewalk all the while. She had forgotten her newest ex even existed by the time she reached the club, just like she had forgotten his name by the time their final dinner ended.

"Hello, darling." It was purred out right before she automatically caught her lower lip between her teeth and dimpled.

"Lav, babe!" The bouncer leered. "Good to see you! Come on in!"

And she smiled, dark red lips curving to reveal perfect white teeth.

Her cheeks hurt.

* * *

A/N: Written in response to Vanir's request. I hope you enjoyed it. I really don't know what to think about this.

To try for your own request, here it is: the title competition. The first to correctly tell me both the language and translation of the title gets their own fic in reward.

**Edit**: As I fix the formatting after the FFNet clusterfuck, I'd like to add that I take requests from anyone - correctly guessing the translation is no longer necessary.


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